Postdoc fellowships in Molecular Biology

The Molecular Biology Program at the University of Missouri-Columbia
Our Program is designed for young scientists who want to expand the
breadth and depth of their studies in molecular biology through
predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships.
We offer fellowships through a dynamic and interdisciplinary plan that:
 fosters close interactions among faculty, postdoctoral fellows
and graduate students, and
 allows participation in laboratory rotations, workshops, seminars
and symposia.
Our Program offers you three distinct advantages:
 an interdisciplinary nature,
 a broad selection of faculty expertise and experience, and
 an atmosphere in which ideas are freely exchanged.
This unique Program offers you a special opportunity to train in a
supportive and growing environment.
The Program's purpose is 
1. to promote research on the genetics and molecular biology of animal,
plant and microbial systems. The program concentrates on problems in
medicine, agriculture and energy.
2. to stimulate new interdisciplinary research and teaching by integrating
research and scholarly activities among divisions and departments.
3. to serve as a state, regional and national resource for industry and
for other educational institutions.
With these goals in mind, the program focuses on four research areas 
1. development and aging,
2. resistance to disease,
3. biological energy conversion, and
4. environmental improvement.
By sharing a common technology and by focusing on these areas, molecular
biology researchers at MU are able to make scientific advances that will
ultimately improve the quality of human life.
FACULTY
This campuswide interdisciplinary program draws its faculty primarily from
the departments of animal sciences, biochemistry, biological sciences,
molecular microbiology and immunology, pharmacology and veterinary
microbiology. Other participating faculty come from various departments in
the colleges of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; Arts and Science;
Veterinary Medicine; and from the School of Medicine (see faculty list
below). All share a common interest in the molecular basis of important
biological processes.
FACILITIES
The Molecular Biology Program at MU provides five core facilities on
campus. These provide a variety of services such as protein purification
and sequencing, oligonucleotide synthesis and DNA sequencing, monoclonal
antibody production, cell sorting, molecular cytology and transgenic
animal production. In addition, the campus offers facilities for electron
microscopy; NMR spectroscopy; protein, peptide, amino acid, carbohydrate,
lipid and inorganic analyses; and neutron scattering studies at the
nation¹s largest university research reactor.
UNIVERSITY & COMMUNITY
The University of Missouri-Columbia, founded in 1839, is the first state
university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of the nation's most
complete institutions of higher learning, with 18 schools and colleges on
a single campus. Its 22,600 students come from all 114 Missouri counties,
all 50 states and more than 109 countries.
The Carnegie Classification of Higher Education lists MU as the
only public university in Missouri in its highest class, Research
Universities I. Out of 3,400 colleges and universities nationwide, only 70
were so classified.
Columbia is a progressive community of 70,000, situated
conveniently in the heart of Missouri. St. Louis is 125 miles east, Kansas
City is 125 miles west and the Lake of the Ozarks is 60 miles south. The
city also offers a variety of entertainment in film, theater, art and
music, as well as outstanding recreational activities.
In 1992, Money magazine rated Columbia as the second best place to
live in the United States. Said the magazine article: ³Life here is not
just inexpensive. It¹s also clean and green.² The magazine estimated that
the cost of living in Columbia is 10 percent below the U.S. metro median.
*******
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS
BACKGROUND:
At the inception of the Molecular Biology Program, the basic
infrastructure to support molecular technologies in biological research at
MU was not sufficient to permit significant improvement in the quality of
research and graduate training. The Program was implemented to build on
existing strengths and to pool campus-wide resources in a focused way to
achieve "eminence." In its five years of existence, the Program's funds
have provided new faculty and facilities of high quality for basic
research in molecular biology.
MU cannot excel in modern biological research without a large,
multi-disciplinary community of outstanding faculty, postdoctoral fellows
and graduate students. Personnel at each of these three levels provide
the interactive base necessary for continued program improvement. Hence,
predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships were implemented to help staff
the growing number of laboratories using molecular technologies. In 1988,
a multi-disciplinary Fellowships and Awards Committee was established to
review applications and make awards based on merit. The goal is to
recruit outstanding candidates to MU.
APPLICATIONS:
Although Molecular Biology Postdoctoral Fellowships are advertised
nationally, specific applications can be generated only through individual
faculty who can offer both space and a research training environment that
is attractive and appropriate. Individual faculty sponsor applicants for
two-year postdoctoral fellowships by submitting the materials listed below
to the Program Office, 311 Tucker Hall (314-882-2816). These materials
are referred to each member of the Committee in advance of a meeting at
which applications are ranked and award decisions are made. The Committee
operates within a budget that is set annually by the Director.
Seven copies of the following materials are required:
1. The applicant's complete curriculum vitae and copies of selected
publications, if any.
2. Copies of pertinent correspondence between the applicant and sponsor.
3. Letters of recommendation on behalf of the applicant from three
professionals not at MU.
4. A current curriculum vitae of the sponsor, including a list of
publications, a description of all current research support, and a list of
any previous postdoctorates with their current positions.
5. A letter from the sponsor briefly describing the research project to be
undertaken, and explaining its relevance to the Program's goals, as
described above. The letter must also specifically address the criteria
for eligibility listed below.
DEADLINES:
Deadlines for receipt of applications are February 1, May 1, August 1, and
November 1. Award decisions will normally be made within 30 days after
each deadline. In cases where additional information is needed to
evaluate eligibility or merit, the application will be deferred until the
next review.
AWARDS:
Postdoctoral Fellowships are for stipends only, and are awarded for a
maximum of two consecutive years. Fellows will not be supported beyond
two years after their arrival on campus. The second year award is
provisional, and is based on
1. evidence of submission of an application for extramural support no
later than six months after the start of fellowship support, and
2. evidence of satisfactory performance (provided by a letter from the sponsor).
Awardees become University employees through the Molecular Biology
Program, not the sponsor's department. The date of appointment may be
either the 1st or the 15th of the month. Awardees are given the title of
Postdoctoral Fellow, with a salary of $22,000 per year. This stipend may
be supplemented by the sponsor, or by the sponsor's department. If an
extramural fellowship is obtained at less than $22,000 per year, the
Program will make up the difference within the above time limit. All
Fellows are required to participate in Molecular Biology Week.
ELIGIBILITY:
1. Only persons not currently attending MU, not supported by funds from
MU, and who have not made a commitment to come to MU, are eligible for
Molecular Biology Postdoctoral Fellowships. Applicants must have received
their PhD within five years of the application.
2. Only full-time, tenure-track faculty who will use molecular
technologies as a significant focus of the fellow's research may sponsor a
Molecular Biology Fellow. Sponsors must offer appropriate laboratory
space and resources to complete the proposed research project. Also,
sponsors must have extramural research support, or documented evidence of
adequate intramural funding, for at least one full year after the proposed
arrival of the Fellow on campus.
3. Sponsors must certify that sufficient funds are not available from any
other sources to support the candidate.
4. No more than one Molecular Biology Fellow will be supported by the
Program at any one time in any laboratory. However, an application with a
non-overlapping start date may be approved prior to the end of a currently
funded fellowship. Example: An investigator is sponsoring a fellow who
will be on stipend until September 30, 1993. The investigator sponsors a
second applicant prior to the November 1, 1992 deadline for a proposed
August 1, 1993 start date. If approved, the investigator or the
department would be required to pay the new Fellow's salary for August and
September. The first year of the Molecular Biology award would then be
reduced from $22,000 to $18,333 starting on October 1, 1993, and ending on
July 31, 1994.
EVALUATION CRITERIA:
1. The record of the applicant, potential as a research scientist, and
potential for extramural research funding will be evaluated. Another
consideration is the potential contribution of the applicant to the campus
research community, not just the sponsor's laboratory. The applicant need
not have experience in molecular biology, but such experience is a
positive factor.
2. The quality of the training environment offered by the sponsor, and the
experience of the sponsor with molecular technologies will be considered.
(This includes the specific match between the experience/goals of the
sponsor and the goals/experience of the applicant.)
3. The sponsor's previous postdoctoral training record (for mid-career to
senior sponsors), and record for obtaining extramural funding for previous
Molecular Biology Postdoctoral Fellows (if any) will be evaluated.
Failure in having obtained extramural support for previous Fellows is a
negative factor.
--
DL Ranly
Molecular Biology Program
311 Tucker Hall
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211
molbiodr at mizzou1.missouri.edu